Safe or vault.



2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

No. 793,044. PATENTED JUNE 27, 1905. W. BRIN'I'ON & W. GASTGN.

SAFE OE VAULT.

APPLIOATION FILED SEPT. 30,1903.

No. 798,044. PATENTED JUNE 2'7, 1905'. W. BRINTON & W. GASTONw SAFE ORVAULT.

APPL IGATIOH FILED SEPT. 30,1903.

2 SHEETS-BHBET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented June e7, 1905 PATENT OEEicE.

WALTER BRINTON, OF HlG-HBRIDGE, AND W'ALTER GASTON, OF PLAIN FIELD, NEWJERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO TAYLOR IRON AND STEEL COM- PANY, A CORPORATION OFNFAV JERSEY.

SAFE OR VAULT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 793,044, dated June 27,1905.

Application filed September 30, 1903. Serial No. 175,161.

T all whom it may cmwcrlt:

Be it known that we, WVAL'rnn BRINTON, residing at Highbridge, in thecounty of Hunterdon, and \VALTER GASTON, residing at Plai nfield, in thecounty of Union, State of New Jersey, citizens of the United States,have invented certain new and useful improvements in Safes or Vaults, ofwhich the following is a specification.

[O This invention relates to safes or vaults, and particularly to thatclass thereof known as burglar-proof safes, the object of the inventionbeing to provide an improved structure with its door and body so formedaround the joint at such door that it has superior resisting qualitiesand is especially adapted to resist attacks not only by nitroglycerinand other high explosives, but also by mechanical means.

A further object of theinvention is the provision of a safe or vaultbody having an improved form of bead around its doorway.

A further object of the invention is the provision of an improved door.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a safe body anddoor each having a corrugated bead cooperating to insure supe riorresisting qualities to attacks.

A further object of the invention is the proo vision of a safe or vaultbody so constructed that such body may be cast around itsjamb with alarger amount of metal without materially interfering with thesubstantial uniformity of such casting.

In the drawings accompanying and forming part of this specification,Figure 1 is a front elevation of this improved safe body and door. Fig.2 is a vertical cross-sectional view thereof looking from the rear ofthe safe. Fig.

4 3 is a horizontalcross-sectional view of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a sectionalview taken in line a 4, Fig. 1, of a part of one corner of the safebodyand its door, illustrating on a larger scale the formation of the beads;and Fig. is a view illustrating what it is apprehended is the action ofsuch beads under the etfect of a highexplosive charge.

Similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in thedifferent figures of the drawings.

The present improvement comprises in a general way a safe-bod y 2,having a doorway 3, provided with an elongated jamb a, having a step oroffset 5 and a bolt-receiving groove 6, which may, however, be in theform of independent pockets or recesses, if desired, and a door 7,comprising a body Sand a rearwardly-extending flange 9, having openings10 for the passage of the bolts. This door and body is in practiceformed of unmachine- 6o able metal-such, for instance, as manganesesteel each of an integral structure.

Owing to the introduction of nitroglycerin as an aid in safe-breaking byburglars, it is essential that the highest quality of metal should beutilized in the manufacture of safes or vaults to secure valuables fromattacks by the modern burglar; but in addition to this it is alsonecessary that large bearing-surfaces be provided at the joint aroundthe door to 7 distribute the effect of the charges of high explosivesfired against the safe, while the provision of steps or offsets solocated that they are casl y accessible must be avoided. In addition tothis it is also desirable that the joint around the door be protectedagainst attacks by the use of sledges or other mechanical means. To givethe safe as a structure a superior resisting quality, manganese steelis, as hercinbefore stated, used from which to cast the body and thedoor each in one piece. The body and door are subsequent to castingheat-treated in order to toughen the same and give such structure stillhigher resistingqualities, and for this purpose each part is after 5being cast subjected to heat in a suitable manneras, for instance, byplacing the same in a furnace and gradually increasing the heat up to apredetermined temperature, preferably from a certain point -after whichthe castings are removed and cooledas, for instance, by immersing thesame in brine water. To properly heat-treat these castings, it isnecessary that they be substantially uniform throughout or when this isnot desirable that any lack ofuniformity be equalized by the mode inwhich the casting is formed, so that uniformity in the treatment of thecasting may still be obtained. In the present instance, since the bodyis cast with a larger amount of metal around the doorway than at otherparts of the body, these advantages are obtained by locating in thecasting a series of openings or ducts in which are shown located pipes12, which are placed in the mold prior to casting, and which pipesconnect the interior of the safe with the bolt-groove 6. By this meansan equal distribution of the heat is obtained at this part of thecasing, notwithstanding it is much larger in bulk than the otherportions of the body, and also the cooling material is more effective,both the heating and cooling being by the provision of this meanssubstantially uniform. The provision of these passages also insure themore equal and uniform cooling of the mass of metal during the settingof the casting, thus avoiding strains at such part of the body, as wellas the proper equalization and circulation of the heat during the heattreatment and also the proper chilling effect and circulation of thewater. The same advantage is obtained in the door by means of theboltopenings. Furthermore, these passages or d ucts (shown in thepresent instance located entirely around the body and establishingcommunication between the jamb and the interior of the safe and locatedrelatively close to one another) also constitute a means of carrying offany fluid explosive should the same penetrate the joint around the door,since it would flow backward, owing to the tapered formation of the doorand jamb, until it reached the bolt-groove, into which it would pass,and thence around to 'the bottom thereof and out through the adjacentpassages 12 into the interior of the safe, where it would beimpracticable to explode it except by concussion, and even then theentire contents of the safe would probably be wrecked, so that asuccessful burglarious opening of the safe would not be possible. Itbeing well known that a burglar is unwilling to take mutilated money,his attacks upon a safe are therefore always made with a view ofavoiding the necessity of ruining the contents. In some forms of safesor vaults the flange 30 could be made so as to have great depth, ifdesired, the recess 31, formed between it and the side wall of the safewith which the passages 12 communicate, likewise having great depth.

The doorway is of circular formation for the reception of the circulardoor, whereby a grinding fit of the door relative to its jamb isobtained and the formation of angles around the doorway avoided, thusobtaining a fluidtight joint. To preserve this joint against attacks byhigh explosives, it has heretofore been found desirable to provide abead on the body around such joint, forming what might be termed. ayielding mass of metal.' It is well known that all metals have what istechnically known as flowage, and in the structure shown in the patentgranted to H. D. Hibbard, No. 662,429, dated November 27, 1900, thisflowage was provided for by the provision of this bead located aroundthe doorway. In the present instance an integral bead 15, somewhatlarger than heretofore, is provided, but made up of a series of separateparts or beads 16, so that although the flowage or yielding of the metalmight ordinarily be resisted by the increased mass of such metal formingthe bead the effect of the explosive charge, owing to the separate partor bead formation, is local. Consequently the action of the explosivecharge, it is apprehended, will be eflective upon one or more of theparts or beads to the exclusion of the rest, so that the resultnotwithstanding the increased mass of metal forming the head is stillthe same-namely, a yielding of that part of the metal adjacent to thepoint where the explosive charge is firedso that (see Fig. 5) when themetal of the door is forced inward, as at a, by the force of theexplosive charge and also pushed laterally at its edge, as at 6, themetal in the bead or beads adjacent to such charge will move laterally,as at c, to preserve a metal-to-metal-tight joint at this point. In theform shown this bead 15 comprises a circular projection, flange, orswell extending forwardly of the body proper around the doorway and, asstated, is formed of a continuous series of projections, parts, or beads16, forming what may be termed in practice a corrugated bead. In otherwords, it consists of a swell or bead formed or made up of a number oflesser swells or beads, all terminating in a circular surface or annulardepressed portion 17, adjacent to the doorway and within the outersurfaces of the beads 16, and whichsurface permits the proper grindingof the metal around the doorway to match with a similar surface 18 onthe door, and which two surfaces 17 and 18 are substantially flush witheach other, with their side faces 20 and 21 forming, respectively, apart of the jamb and periphery of the door and at an angle to suchsurfaces 17 and 18, preferablybut not necessarily square therewith, suchfaces 20 and 21 being in metal-to-metal contact from their point ofengagement around the door inwardly. The door is likewise provided witha bead 23 of similar formation to that furnished the body and likewisemade up of similar parts or beads 25, forming a corrugated bead with thesurface or annular depressed portion 18 around the same, but within theouter surfaces of the beads. These beads in addition to forming anexplosion-resisting medium, or, more properly speaking, an effectivemeans to preserve a metal-to-metal-tight joint around the door, alsoprovide a means ofpreventing the door from being attacked at or adjacentto its edge by sledging, sincev as they projectbeyond the surfaces 17and 18, which are located relatively remote to the outer surfaces 25 ofsuch beads, and consequently lie within the protecting-walls thereof, itis not practicable to strike such surfaces continuously by sledges withsufficient force to peen the metalthat is, force it away from the edgeto form an opening at the joint. In other words, it will be obvious thatas the beads located around the joint, project beyond such joint anappreciable distance the joint is within what might be crudely termed ahollow," so that it is not practicable to strike the metal at the edgeof the door by means of blunt sledges, owing to the interference of thebeads. Gonsequently the peening of the metal by a series of successivesledging-blows is not practicable. From the foregoing it will be seenthat this bead in its present form not only provides a means ofprotecting the joint against the effect of explosive charges, and somaintains a tight-joint around the door, but it also protects it againstthe use of sledges, so that the opportunity of opening the joint at thedoor at any particular joint in any practicable manner by mechanical orexplosive force is prevented. Moreover, by the formation of the bead inthe manner shown and described a larger mass of metal maybe obtainedaround the door without interfering with the yielding qualities thereof,and by the provision of the ducts or channels around the doorway thislarger mass of metal enables the provision of a longer jamb withoutinterfering with the substantial uniformity of the treatment of thecasting, and this larger joint-surface affords a larger surface overwhich the shocks of an explosive charge are transmitted, so that theeffect thereof at any one point is materially lessened.

In conclusion it may be said that while the use of the particular metaldescribed, together with the beads, will afford superior results in themanufacture of burglar-proof safes and vaults, in that it provides asafe in which not only is the joint at the door, usually the mostvulnerable point, protected against explosive and mechanical attacks,but it presents a structure not capable of being drilled or cut, it isnevertheless to be understood that the use of these beads, or either ofthem. with other metals or with manganese steel unheat-treated is withinthe province of certain of the claims. Manganese steel, especiallymanganese steel heat-treated, is deemed preferable, since the tendencyof this metal is to yield under the effect of explosive charges ratherthan crack.

From the foregoing it will be seen that the exposed annular surface 17is located at the outer terminus of the jamb-surface of the body and atan angle thereto and may be substantially square with suchjaInb-surfaee, if desired, and substantially at the base of a projectingportion which extends or projects beyond such surface, so that suchsurface 1'7 is in the natureof a depressed surface, being located withinthe outer boundary of such projecting portion of the front which in thepresent instance is in the form of a head. The door has its contiguousouter surface substantially flush with this surface 17, and this wouldbe the case whether the door be provided with a head or not--that is,whether it is of substantially the form shown and described in the saidpatent to Hibbard, hereinbefore referred to. In either event it will beseen that the outer surface of the door contiguous to its periphery andthe annular surface of the body substantially llush therewith aredepressed surfaces, so far as that part of the front which projectsbeyond such surfaces is concerned, both being located within theoutermost boundary of such projecting portion, which in the presentinstance is shown as a bead. This feature, we believe, is new with usand is an important one, since whether the projecting portion be intheform of a bead or the entire front of the safe itself, as in thecontemporaneously pending application of \Valter Brinton, Serial No.212,924, filed June 17, 1904, the joint around the door is within suchprojecting portion and terminates at each side thereof in a surfacematching its companion surface, whereby such surfaces may be ground to amatching fit, so that there is no opening at the jointand so that suchjoint is within the protecting boundary of the projecting front. Thissame feature may be obtained in various ways, as shown, for instance, ina contemporaneously-pending application, Serial No. 1%,655, filedFebruary 23. 1901f, now Patent No. TTLTOL dated October &, 190i, and insaid contemporaneouslypending application above referred to, where thissubject-matter is claimed broadly.

e claim as our inventiom 1 A cast, unmachineable metal, integral safe orvault body having an annular series of protuberances located around itsdoorway at the front of the door-body.

2. A safe or vault body having around its doorway a forwardly-extendingbead, projection, flange or swell formed of a number of contiguouslesser beads, projections, flanges or swells.

3. An integral safe or vault body cast of manganese steel, heat-treatedsubsequent to such casting by heating it up to a predeterminedtemperature and then cooling it and provided with a flange, bead, swell,or projection around its doorway formed of a number of lesser beads.flanges, swells or projections.

f. An integral,unmachineable metal,safe or vault body having a beadprojecting beyond its circular jamb-surface, the inner wall of such beadterminating at its base in a smooth annular surface located at the outerterminus of and at an angle to the jamb-surface, and

formed to be substantially flush with the contiguous outer surface ofthe door when such door is closed.

5. A safe or vault body having a bead located around its doorwayterminating at the inner side thereof in a surface located within theouter boundary of such bead, such surface being located at an angle tothe jamb-surface and exposed when the door is closed.

6. A safe or vault body having a bead located around its doorwayterminating at the inner side thereof in a surface located within theouter boundary of such bead, such surface being substantially squarewith the jambsurface and exposed when the door is closed.

7. A safe or vault body having a series of protuberances around itsdoorway terminat ing in a ground surface within the outer boundary ofsuch bead.

8. An integral, unmachineable metal safe or vault body having aforwardly-projecting corrugated bead terminating at the inner sidethereof in a relatively flat annular surface located within theoutermost boundary of such corrugated bead.

9. A cast, unmachineable metal, integral safe or vault body havingcorrugations at the front thereof formed during the casting of suchbody.

10. A safe or vault door having adjacent to its edge aforwardly-extending bead, projection, flange or swell formed of a numberof contiguous lesser projections, beads, flanges, or swells.

11. An integral, cast, unmachineable metal, safe or vault door having aseries of integral protuberances at its outer side formed during thecasting of such door.

12. An integral safe or vault door cast of steel. and heat-treatedsubsequentto such casting by heating it up to a predeterminedtemperature and then cooling it, and provided with a flange, bead,swell, or projection around the same adjacent its edge formed of anumber of lesser beads, flanges, swells or projections.

13. A safe or vault door having a bead located around the sameterminating at its outer side in an annular surface located within theouter boundary of such bead, such surface being substantially squarewith the edge of the door.

14. A safe or vault door having a corrugated bead terminating in aground surface within the outer boundary of such bead.

15. An integral safe or vault door having a forwardly-projecting beadterminating at its outer side at its base in an annular surface locatedwithin the outermost boundary of such portion, and at an angle to theperiphery of the door.

16. An integral circular safe or vault door comprising a body and aninteriorly-located annular flange, said door having an ofiset or step atits periphery, and provided with a forwardly extending annular beadlocated around and adjacent to the edge thereof.

17. An integral, unmachineable metal, circular safe or vault door havinga forwardlyextending annular bead. adjacent to its edge, and arearwardly-extending annular flange.

18. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway provided around thesame with an integral bead, and a door adapted to fit said doorway andalso having an integral bead.

19. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway provided around thesame with an integral bead, and a door adapted to fit said doorway andalso having an integral bead, said beads having between them a pair ofmatched surfaces.

20. A safe or vault body having a jamb and a surface around and at theouter terminus of such jamb with a bead extending beyond such surfaceand protecting it, and a door fitting into said jamb and having at theouter terminus of its periphery a surface matching and substantiallyflush with the said surface of the body.

21. An integral unmachineable metal safe or vault body having a circulardoorway with an integral bead projecting beyond the outer terminus ofits jamb, and having interiorly of and at the base of such bead anannular ground surface located at an angle to and at the outer terminusof the jamb-surface, and an integral circular unmachineable metal doorfitting into said jamb and having an annular ground surface contiguousto its edge matching and substantially flush with such annular surfaceof the body. 1

22. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway, and provided with anintegral bead projecting beyond the outer terminus of the jamb, andhaving interiorly of and at the base of such bead an annular surfacelocated substantially square with and at the outer terminus of thejamb-surface, and adoor fitting into said jamb and having contiguous toits edge an annular surface matching and substantially flush with suchannular surface of the body.

23. An unmachineable metal safe or vault body having a circular doorwayand provided with an integral bead projecting beyond the outer terminusof the jamb, and an integral, circular, unmachineable metal door fittinginto said jamb and having on its front and contiguous to its edge anannular flat surface located within and at the base of the head of thebody.

24. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway provided around thesame with an integral bead, and a door adapted to fit said doorway andalso having an integral bead, said beads having between them arelatively flat surface.

25. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway, and a door adaptedto fit therein, said body having around its doorwayacorrugated beadintegral with such body and in position and adapted to yield with themetal of the door at the edge thereof when such door metal is under highexplosive charges moved laterally, thereby to preserve a tightmetalto-metal joint or contact betweenmetals of the door and body at thejoint.

26. A safe or vaultcomprising a body having a circular doorway andprovided around such doorway with an integral corrugated bead, and adoor also having around and adjacent to its edge a corrugated head.

27. A safe or vault comprising a body having a circular doorway andprovided around such doorway with a corrugated bead integral with a partof such body and a door also having around and adjacent to its edge acorrugated bead, the marginal faces of the door and body beingsubstantially flush, with the jointsurt'aces of such door and body inengagement with each other.

28. An integral sate orvaulteomprising an integral body having acircular doorway with a bead around the same, a door fitting saiddoorway and alsohaving a bead around and adjacent to its edge, said doorand body having a relatively flat surface between said beads at whichpoint the joint of the door terminates.

29. An integral safe or vault comprising an integral body having acircular doorway with a bead around the same a door fitting said doorwayand also having a bead around and adjacent to its edge, said door andbody havingarelatively flat surface between said beads at which pointthe joint of the door ter1uinates, and one of said beads being formed ofa number of lesser beads.

30. A safe or vaultbody having ajamb provided with bolt-receiving means,and a plurality of passages connecting the interior of said body withsaid bolt-receiving means.

31. A safe or vault body having its jamb provided with a bolt-receivinggroove and a plurality of passages connecting such groove with theinterior of such body.

32. A safe or vault body having a circular doorway provided withbolt-receiving means and a series of substantially equidistant passageslocated in the body entirely around the doorway and connecting theinterior thereof with such bolt-receiving means.

A safe or vault body having a circular doorway provided withbolt-receiving means and a plurality of pipes located in the body andconnecting the interior thereof with such bolt-receiving means.

34. A safe or vault body having a doorway and passages located entirelyaround such doorway and providing communication between the jamb-surfaceand the interior of such body.

35. A safe or vault body having adoorway and passages located aroundsuch doorway and providing communication between the jamb-surface andthe interior of such body, such passages having pipes located therein.

36. An integral cast-steel safe or vault body having a circular doorwayand provided entirely around such doorway at intervals with transversepassages having pipes or tubes located therein communicating with theinterior of the body.

37. An integral cast-steel safe or vault body having a doorway andprovided entirely around such doorway, at intervals, with passagescommunicating with the interior of such body.

38. An integral, cast, unmaehineable metal safe or vault body having acircular doorway and an integral, cast, unmachincable metal circulardoor titting such doorway, said door and body having means forpreventing successful attacks on the door joint and comprising passagesati'ording communication between the jamb-surface and the interior ofthe body and a pair of matching surfaces forming the outer terminus ofthe joint around the door and beyond which matching surfaces a part ofthe body-front projects.

39. A safe or vault body having a rearwardly-extending flange forming arecess, said body also having a bolt-groove located in its jamb, and aplurality of passages connecting said bolt-groove with said recess.

eLO. A safe or vault body having a rearwardly-extending integral flange,said body also having bolt-receiving means, and passages establishingeommunication between the jamb and the interior of the body.

WALTER BRINTON. VAL ER GASTON. \Vitnesses as to \Valter Brinton:

J ACOB S'ruUcLn, A. F. MURRAY. \Vitnesses as to Walter Gaston:

SoLoN S. HIBBARD, Enmcs'r (i. JUDKINS.

